Justin has been working in the entertainment industry professionally since 2010 and has made sure to never stop making films. Following the surprising success of “The Greater Good” released in 2014, Justin has gained a fan base that has allowed him to succeed with a Kickstarter to fund “Severus Snape and the Marauders.” The teaser trailer alone has gotten the attention of the BBC, UNILAD, The Independent and many others. As he finishes up this film, he is finishing his script for the first feature film he wishes to direct in the near future.

http://www.justinzagri.com

jzagri@gmail.com

LIANA MINASSIAN – Producer

Liana graduated from University of Miami and has been pursuing a career in entertainment writing and photography since. Her work on this film has been pivotal, starting with taking charge of the Kickstarter, and seeing every aspect of the project through with Justin Zagri the director. Her organization and multi tasking skills made this film possible and we wouldn’t have done it without her.

I’ve always found Severus Snape to be one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Harry Potter Universe. An intelligent, somber, yet intensely passionate man who spends much of his life struggling with his own poorly dealt hand and misguided mistakes, while also being driven forward by his commitment to an undying love that he himself feels at blame for losing. Snape’s brilliance in his craft is something both admired and feared by those around him, making him the last person someone would want to invoke a confrontation with. This film explores a very different Snape than what we’ve previously seen. He’s a young man torn between the two things he desires most. Power and love.

Garrett Schweighauser as James Potter

I connect to James Potter’s sense of purpose most. He commits to the choices he makes fighting for what he thinks is right. Similarly I am uncompromising when it comes to my purpose, I too feel like I am here for a specific reason and I will do anything to fulfill it. What excites me the most though is that James may seem cocksure, be he is still very vulnerable, which allows him to open up and adapt to his surroundings. I have very similar tendencies, I like to analyze group dynamics and find a way for us all to succeed together.

Kevin Allen as Sirius Black

I found a home in acting when I was accepted to the Sarasota Visual and Performing Arts Center’s theatre program and have been practicing the craft ever since. It has taken me out of the small rural community I was raised in and sent me into play festivals, film festivals, world class theme parks, newly formed organizations, immersive reality productions spanning days and cities, and random adventures all over North America.
In this way I can see shades of my story mirroring Sirius Black’s youth, and it might be why so many of my friends see shades of Sirius in me. I had a loving family, but like Sirius, I was always the black sheep. It wasn’t until I was invited into this exciting new school did I discover who I was, who I wanted to be, and the friends who help me to discover my potential. However, unlike Sirius, I have not yet learned how to become an animagus.

Paul Stanko as Remus Lupin

Paul Stanko was born when he was young, in the wild mountains of Fort Collins, Colorado. Acting pulled him to Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, where he graduated in December 2012 with a B.A. in Theater Studies. Appearing in countless student films and independent theatrical productions while at USC, Paul has since found a home in the independent film circuit, appearing in “The Hands You Shake” in 2012, and recently wrapping production on the feature film, “Superior” this month in northern Michigan. His most widely recognized and acclaimed role was as Luke and Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars in 60 Minutes”, a live stage production of all six Star Wars movies, which pinnacled as a featured event in the 2012 Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Florida at the personal request of George Lucas. Between acting gigs and saving the galaxy, he enjoys creating improv and sketch comedy with the newly formed comedy troupe, Uncle Tommy. He is still waiting for an owl to deliver his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

It is a supreme privilege to be able to portray Remus Lupin in Justin Zagri’s incredibly inventive story for, “Severus Snape and the Marauders”. As a lifelong fan of the Harry Potter story, Paul is excited to upgrade from a childhood of curtains and sticks to real robes and wands. While he has always related most closely to the wry antics of Fred and George Weasley, the opportunity to explore the quiet storm of Remus Lupin comes as a welcome challenge. A man of intriguing qualities, the least of which is his lycanthropy, Lupin maintains a composure as fierce as his loyalty. In fact, these very qualities are what make him such a vital part of the Marauders. He does his best to keep the rest of the pack in check, but won’t hesitate to defend them at a moment’s notice. As the most reasonable of the Marauders, it is Lupin’s unfortunate burden to be the most volatile. However, it is in James, Sirius, and Peter, that Remus is able to find, not only an outlet for his darker qualities, but also a family who accept him for everything that he is.

Zachary David as Peter Pettigrew

Unlike the other actors in the film, I don’t necessarily get to dwell on the heroic traits of their characters to admire, or the symbols of greatness they represent. But, just as real there is a tangibility with Peter with which I can relate, as can we all, to having fears, and with having difficult decisions ahead of us.

As an actor, I’ve always been intruiged with the lives of characters outside of what is expressly written about them. With Peter, who is a character defined in the books and films as kind of an end product of his actions, there is opportunity here to look into something all new and even innocent, but still twinges on the familiar.

Dani Jae as Lily Evans

Originally from Houston, TX., I now finds my artistic home in Los Angeles, CA. Trained at the Baron Brown Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts, my emphasis is heavy in film acting, although working frequently in comedy (both improv and stand-up) and occasionally in local theatre.

Lily Evans as a character is someone that I understand considerably well. Some of her qualities I already possess, many that I’m continually working towards and most that have been demonstrated by my own parents. Her foundation as a person is love and courage, with selfless and loyal behavior at every opportunity. It’s her characteristics and ethics that are passed down and make Harry as strong as he’s able to become in life.